President Bush's new chief of staff said Sunday that the White House plan to address high gasoline prices will have only a modest impact and the ultimate goal must to be reducing dependence on foreign oil.

Congress is due to consider bills this year that would expand the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, which memorializes the forced removal of about 16,000 Cherokees, across the Southeast and Midwest.

A Senate panel Thursday approved a scaled-back version of President Bush's budget. With Republicans nervous about cutting popular programs in an election year, the committee gave party-line 11-10 approval to a budget that takes few risks but also makes little progress in addressing long-term fiscal problems.

President Bush, warning against America losing its technological edge in the world, called on Congress Friday to bolster math and science education and spend more money to nurture innovation at business and government laboratories.

In the minds of many, Alaska's pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge might seem irrelevant to the ordinary business of our lives or the great challenges of our time. But the fight to protect the refuge today is also a fight to confront our national priorities for tomorrow. Those who limit this discussion to caricatured arguments about the competing value of oil reserves and protected lands are irresponsible. We must ask hard questions.

Retreating under fire, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana will return about $150,000 in donations that he received from indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates, the chairman of the senator's re-election campaign said Friday.

This marine installation deep in Cajun country is on the front line in the drive to restore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, Fourchon's 3,600 acres of wharves and fabrication yards weren't directly hit by either tempest.

President Bush on Monday signed sweeping legislation that provides billions of dollars in tax subsidies to energy companies, yet does little quickly to ease gas prices or lower America's reliance on foreign oil.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a major energy bill Tuesday that promises to boost U.S. supplies of oil, gas and solar power, but it's unclear whether the legislation will do much to reverse soaring gasoline prices.